1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to the structure of pillowcases or pillows that are retained within pillowcases. More particularly, the present invention relates to pillowcases and pillows that contain a secondary hood that can be worn about the head.
2. Prior Art Description
By nature of human physiology, it is difficult for a person to sleep comfortably when seated upright in a chair. As a person falls asleep in a sitting position, the body initially holds the head straight and upright. However, as the body falls into a deeper sleep, the muscles of the head and neck involuntarily relax. This causes the head to tilt to the side or fall forward. Often this tilting of the head to the front or side occurs rapidly. Consequently, as the head tilts, it jerks to a stop as it reaches the anatomical limits of movement. The jerk often momentarily wakes the person, causing the person to again straighten their head and neck as they quickly fall back to sleep. The cycle of falling asleep, having the head fall to a jerk, and correcting the position of the head, can occur multiple times in a short period of time.
If a person sleeps with their head titled or fallen forward, or if a person sleeps and experiences multiple jerks, then that person has a significant likelihood of developing a neck strain or pinched nerve in the neck. This causes pain in the neck when a person wakes and tries to turn his/her head. The pain can last for days.
Healthy people are usually only forced to sleep in a sitting position due to environmental circumstances. For example, a person may be required to sleep on a long airplane flight or on a long car ride. People also commonly fall asleep in a sitting position by accident, such as when they fall asleep sitting on a couch watching television. However, some people have medical conditions that require them to sleep in a sitting position. Such medical conditions include people with severe sleep apnea, people with digestive track diseases, and the like.
Traditional pillows are designed to support the head of a person when that person is sleeping while lying flat in a bed. If such a pillow is used by a person sleeping in a sitting position, then the traditional pillow would only increase the likelihood that a person's head would tilt to the side or fall forward.
Neck pillows are often used to support a person's neck as they sleep in a sitting position. However, traditional neck pillows are typically U-shaped and support only the back and sides of the neck. Traditional neck pillows provide no support in front of the head. Consequently, the use of a traditional neck pillow does not prevent a person's head from falling forward as they sleep. In fact, due to the presence of a pillow behind the user's neck, the use of a neck pillow may actually increase the likelihood that a person's head will fall forward and a neck injury will occur.
The present invention attempts to create a better pillow for those who sleep in a sitting position by connecting a unique hood structure to the pillow. In the prior art, pillows have been invented that include hoods. Consider the traditional pillow types shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,554 to Brown, and U.S. Pat. No. D270,320 to Smith. Also consider the neck pillow shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,657,954 to Bunkers.
In the prior art pillow systems that are cited, hoods are connected to pillows. However, the purpose of the hood is merely to cover the eyes and/or ears of a sleeping person so they can sleep better in a loud or bright environment. The hoods used in such prior art systems are not designed to stabilize the user's head and physically inhibit the user's head from either tilting to the side or falling forward. As such, the prior art pillows that have hoods, if used, would not prevent the neck injuries that commonly afflict people who sleep in sitting positions.
A need therefore exists for a pillow and hood assembly that can be comfortably borne by a person sleeping in a sitting position, wherein the pillow and hood are specifically designed to deter movement of the head and neck during sleep. In this manner, a person can sleep more comfortably in a sitting position without having their heads tilt to the sides or fall forward during sleep. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.